Press: “DPLA: a good idea that has a shot”

“At a high enough level of abstraction, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is a great idea. But, then, most things are. The question is whether it will be able to go from abstract to concrete. All that stands between it and success are some of the most powerful economic interests in the world … as well as the tensions within itself.

“The idea is simple and powerful: As works go digital, we can build a national equivalent of a public library. Great idea!

“Now try to figure out what that means and exactly how it would work. Good luck.

“That is precisely the task the DPLA has undertaken. At the moment, the DPLA has the luxury of being in the talk-and-think stage. The organization consists of a steering committee, an open wiki and an open mailing list. Because it is an exploratory phase, it is open to every idea and every objection. It is a fractious, multisided debate, but generally quite civil.”

From David Weinberger’s post on KMWorld, “DPLA: a good idea that has a shot”